Loch Fleet – This national reserve is a nice spot and there are plenty of walking trails, many flat and easy. Good chance for spotting birds. The Skelbo Forest Walk is an easy and mostly shaded option and there are some woodcarved animals along the walk.

Photos: ACE Adventures & Hideaways, Glascarnoch Dam by @Seanscourie, Puffin Time with Caithness SeaCoast (boat tours), Sands Caravan and Camping Park 5. Driving time! Hope that helps give you some ideas, and do let us know if you have further questions as you plan your trip in Scotland! Robertson’s Farm Shop – In addition to being a farm shop, in the summer kids can go visit the farm animals and pet some of them (small fee). There are Highland coos, goats, sheep, etc. The two stretches of the road that are usually noted as unsuitable for larger caravans and motorhomes are:The NC500 route goes near lochs of course (its hard to drive anywhere in the Highlands without this being the case!) but if you can do the drives around Loch Ness and other lochs I think you’d be OK. I’d maybe do a bit of Google Maps research and see what you think so as you look at images of the views from the road – you are closest to the coastline in the northern part of the route. Currently few companies are offering NC500 tours, especially group tours, but the options will likely increase as the popularity of the route increases. We’ll try to keep this list updated but if you know of any other group tours, please let us know! I think based on what you said you are looking at a Scotland itinerary that looks something like this, and if so, it seems pretty reasonable to me:

The NC500 route officially begins and ends in the city of Inverness at Inverness Castle, forming a loop. However, you can begin and end the route anywhere you choose although Inverness, as the largest city along the route, is a convenient place to start and stop. Inverness Castle How Do I Find and Stay on the North Coast 500 route? Day 1: Inverness to Ullapool via Gairloch (and or Apple Cross) If you decide to do Apple cross then that’ll probably be a busy enough day for you. IF you don’t you could probably go further than Ullapool if you wish, I would suggest Kylesku. You’re very welcome, and happy to look over an itinerary or answer more questions as you get further along in your planning. There are lots of historical attractions along the route as well as places where you can do short walks and hikes. We note many of these in our detailed itinerary. That is great that you have more time for your North Coast 500 trip and you could easily make all of the overnights from 1 night to 2 nights if you wanted. I’d definitely recommend spending a bit of time exploring the area around Inverness as there is a lot to see if you haven’t been before (e.g., Loch Ness, Fort George, Cawdor Castle, Culloden, etc.).Glencanisp Lodge outside Lochinver – dog-friendly hotel run by local community members, great location for hikers Bradley and I spent 2 weeks doing the NC500, but we were taking it slow on purpose because we had time to kill, and we were working whilst travelling, so, therefore, dedicating one week to the NC500 road trip is a pretty good shout!

Hope this helps get you started at least for accommodation. We’ve stayed at all but one of the above properties so do let us know if you have any questions about any of them. Several of these are reviewed in our North Coast 500 Accommodation Guide. But keep any eye out for new posts over the next couple of months. I know at first glance that these drive times do not sound like a lot, but remember they aren’t including any delays and don’t include any stopping at sights, any walks, any toilet breaks, lunch, dinner breaks ect, so be wary of that when planning your North Coast 500 itinerary. Of course, getting a little lost is just part of the journey! Which Direction Should I Drive the North Coast 500? Interewe Gardens– Large gardens run by the National Trust for Scotland that include tropical plants, California redwoods, native plants, and wildlife spotting opportunities. Lots of walking paths and a cafe. There is a special family entrance price.Winter can be a nice time for photography and solitude, although the weather can be bad and certain minor roads (e.g. the Bealach Na Ba) may be closed due to bad weather. If you plan to drive the NC500 out of season (e.g., October to March) just note that many businesses (including hotels, restaurants, tourist information offices, and attractions) in the Scottish Highlands are seasonal or have reduced winter hours. The area of Lochinver offers lots of hikes, and is a popular area for the longer hikes and several munros. Many of the munros (mountains) may be a bit too much and long, but you may want to consider maybe one challenging hill walk such as Suilven. Its an iconic hill here and attracts a lot of hikers and climbers in the warmer months. Its about 12.5 miles round trip and a full day hike for most people. I’d read about it first and see if it is a good fit. If you do this, I’d recommend staying at the Glencanisp Lodge the night before and after as you can walk right from this lodge to the starting path for the hike – super convenient for this hike and most of the people who were staying here when we did were specifically here for this hike. Guided Activities– There are many opportunities to book some fun activities and tours along the route. Examples include wildlife boat trips with EcoVentures, Caithness Sea Coast, or Hebridean Whale Cruises,ziplining with Golden Eagle Zip Line, geology walks (kids 10+ only) with Deep Time, fishing with Assynt Fly Fishing, loch canoeing or kayaking with Kayak Summer Isles, pony trekking with the Gairloch Pony Trekking Centre, and deer spotting and ATV trip at Reraig Forest. Note many of the above activities have age limits and most require advanced booking.

Wishing you a great visit and time at the pipe band championship. Are you competing or just going to watch? Just note that the water is always cold, even in the summer so bring a drysuit or wetsuit if you want to spend some time in the water! Many Scottish beaches have limited or no facilities so be sure to bring anything you may need. The best time to drive the North Coast 500 for most people is between May and October as during this period you’ll find most attractions and restaurants open, the greatest variety of lodging, and the best chances for warmer weather. However, this also corresponds with the busiesttime along the North Coast 500 which is from early May to late September. We would land in Edinburgh on Friday, September 6th, 2019, and stay 4 days, exploring the city and surroundings; The stretch along B869 from Kylesku to Lochinver, which is on the western part of the route. You can take the faster and wide A894 route instead to reach Lochinver.If you have more than 7 nights, I’d suggest adding a night to some of your overnight stops. Makes the trip much more relaxing and allows you to see and do more in that particular area. However, in recent years, they have added North Coast 500 brown tourist signs along the route to help people stay on the route. So it is much easier to follow the route now.